No jail in case of elderly woman dumped from wheelchair

HARTFORD, Conn. – A Connecticut woman who deliberately dumped an 83-year-old woman she was caring for out of a wheelchair has pleaded guilty and avoided jail.

The Hartford Courant reports that 62-year-old Christine Christensen pleaded guilty Wednesday to misdemeanour third-degree abuse.

The South Windsor woman was sentenced to a year of probation.

Christensen was originally charged with third-degree assault of an elderly person, which carries a one-year mandatory minimum jail sentence.

Authorities say Christensen was caught on surveillance video in July shoving the wheelchair at a Windsor Locks nursing facility. The victim slammed face-first into the floor and suffered face and arm injuries.

The facility says Christensen did not work for them, but was hired by the victim’s family.

Christensen’s lawyer says his client was frustrated and “fully admits to reckless, thoughtless conduct.”

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Information from: Hartford Courant, http://www.courant.com